Murrieta plans temporary fire station

MURRIETA -- With plans for the city's fourth permanent fire
station delayed, Fire Chief Phil Armentrout is moving ahead with a
temporary fire station to serve the northeast section of
Murrieta.

At its meeting Nov. 23 meeting, the City Council approved
purchasing a prefabricated building that will serve as Fire Station
No. 4 until the permanent building is in place. The temporary fire
station, which will be at the intersection of Antelope and Baxter
roads, is expected to open in July 2005, Armentrout said
Wednesday.

Construction of the permanent building is delayed because it is
being paid for with developer fees from the future Golden Cities
development east of Interstate 215. The developer is a little bit
behind on the project, and it's unclear when the money to build the
permanent station would be available, Armentrout said.

"Basically, I made a management decision," he said. "I don't
want to wait any longer -- that area is growing fast."

The fire station and its setup will cost $299,200, he said. The
1,400-square-foot prefabricated building, which will be the living
quarters for the firefighter, costs $110,000 and the
800-square-foot building that will house the fire engines costs
$50,000, Armentrout said.

The rest of the money will be used for paving at the site,
utilities, computer and radio systems, and furniture, according to
a fire department report.

City Councilman Kelly Seyarto, a captain with the Inglewood Fire
Department, said prefabricated fire stations are functional, but
"not great as permanent facilities."

They work fine, but aren't ideal for years and years of use,
Seyarto said.

"But it's more important to start providing services … and not
wait to build a new station," he said.

Armentrout said he anticipated the permanent building might not
be ready and saved money for the prefabricated building, just in
case. Earlier this month, the council approved hiring nine
firefighter-paramedics for station No. 4.

"That area is growing fast up there. The station will help us
respond to northern parts of the city: the Mapleton development,
Vista Murrieta High School and everything off the 215 corridor," he
said.

Once the permanent fire station is ready, the prefabricated
building can be moved and used as a classroom, or it could become
Fire Station No. 5 if the city's proposal to annex a portion of
Wildomar is approved by the Local Agency Formation Commission,
Armentrout said.

Murrieta currently has three fire stations: Fire Station No. 1
is at 41825 Juniper St., Fire Station No. 2 is at 40060 California
Oaks Road and Fire Station No. 3 is at 39985 Whitewood Road.